Cerro Sarisarinama

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Cerro Sarisarinama forms a rather remote tepui, and a flat-topped mountain, located within the boundaries of Jaua Sarisarinama National Park. It also sits in the far southwest portion of Bolivar State, Venezuela, in South America.

Cerro Sarisarinama remains very near the border with the country of Brazil.

The altitude range of Cerro Sarisarinama measures roughly 984–7,710 ft (300–2,350 m). The name of the mountain originates from a legend of the indigenous Ye’kuana Indians. The legend speaks of an evil spirit living in caves, high up in the mountain, which devours human flesh with the sound Sari.

The tepui also sits in one of the most remote areas in the country. In fact, the closest road remains several hundred miles away!

Cerro Sarisarinama ranks as unique among known tepuis because it has a forest fully covering the top of it. The forest canopy reaches as much as 82 ft (25 m) high. This isolated ecosystem appears incredibly rich in numerous endemic species of plants and animals.

Source: http://bit.ly/ROTGex Photographer: Luis Ruiz Berti

Cerro Sarisarinama Sinkholes and Exploration

Many consider the most distinctive and well-known geological features of Cerro Sarisarinama to be its sinkholes. These actually dot its surface, with four being known.

Two of these remain visually most unusual and bear the names Sima Humboldt and Sima. They remain extremely large and well known. Also, both possess isolated forest ecosystems that cover their bottoms.

The largest one, Sima Humboldt, measures nearly 1,155 ft (352 m) wide and 1,030 ft (314 m) deep. Yet another one of the sinkholes ranks as very important for exploration of the processes of erosion on tepuis. It has the name of Sima de la Lluvia. This sinkhole is about 4,430 ft (1.35 km) in length.

Cerro Sarisarinama sits in such a remote area that outsiders did not discover it until 1961. The first explorations took place in 1976. Currently, access is restricted to scientific researchers which may actually be a good idea to preserve its uniqueness, flora, and fauna.